Aircraft cargo container

Abstract

An aircraft cargo container (10) is provided with one or more expandable regions for expansion under blast loading thereby to absorb a portion of the blast energy from a blast within the container (10). The absorbing means may comprise corrugated or concertina shaped sheets (20, 22, 34) which expand under blast loading and together with a blast absorbing material (24). The sheets (20, 22, 34) and material (24) may be provided in one or more panels (12, 14) and/or at one or more edged if required.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A container comprising a plurality of panels, at least one of said plurality of panels having a blast attenuation means, said attenuation means comprising an expandable region for expansion under blast loading thereby absorbing a portion of a blast energy contained in a blast, said expandable region comprising one of a sheet of woven fabric material and a sheet of knitted fabric material expandable in a lateral direction, said fabric material being encapsulated within a matrix wherein an embedded length of fibers of one of the sheet of woven fabric material and a sheet of knitted fabric material along any axis within the material is substantially greater than a length of the material along the axis, wherein the plurality of panels forms a closed container. 
     
     
       2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the matrix is one of a polymeric resin and an elastomer. 
     
     
       3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the matrix is an epoxy resin. 
     
     
       4. A container according to claim 3, wherein the fabric material comprises high tensile strength fibers. 
     
     
       5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the high tensile strength fibers are one of aramid, glass and a combination thereof.